Following the Fellowship
by Anonymous B-pass
Summary: Two hobbit girls, Ruby and Azaelia, are compelled to follow and assist the Fellowship of the Ring. But how do their friends feel about this...? Expect sequels...
1. Chapter 1 Heaven's Place

Ruby awoke early one morning just as the sun was rising. She opened the little window of her little room in her little hobbit hole at Buckleberry Fern. A soft breeze blew in and tousled her short cropped, light brown hair. She smiled. Ruby Hamwich rarely woke before the rest of her little village, but when she did she liked to go for long walks. The morning air felt wonderful and crisp on her face and the world was quiet. She changed from her night dress to a gray dress and red bodice, pushing her unruly mane of hair behind her ears.

Azaelia woke up to the morning sun rising. She pulled back the curtains and looked outside to a warm sunrise. She pulled on her gardening clothes and went outside to plant some new rose bushes she'd bought in town. After that she'd have to weed out the flower beds and trim her hedges. Today was going to be just perfect! She loved gardening, and got the best tips from Sam Gamgee, who was a friend she had grown up with. She went outside and started digging a hole for a bush when she spotted Ruby walking by on an early morning stroll.

"Hallo, Ruby. What a fine morning it is today!"

Ruby turned, hearing a familiar voice behind her.

"Oh, Azaelia!" She smiled at her dark haired friend. "How are those new bushes coming?"

"They're wonderful! Just look at the wonderful crimson color! And look! This one's blue!"

Ruby let out a small trill of laughter. Azaelia was a very funny person, always on the hunt for new and interesting flowers.

"Well, I hope they grow lovely for you. See you later!" She waved good bye to her good friend, off to continue her walk.

Azaelia smiled, but as she was going back to her flowers, she saw a familiar face coming around the bend and dashed to Ruby's side.

"Hallo again! Um, just thought I'd join you…could use some good exercise…"

Ruby could always tell when Azaelia had seen Meriadoc Brandybuck. She smiled, understanding exactly how her friend felt. She, too, had a secret love...but no one, not he, nor Azaelia knew about it. In truth, he was Merry's best friend, Pippin. The four of them had grown up together, along with Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee.

Azaelia's heart dropped as she realized that she left her front door open…She moaned and started fidgeting; she'd have to go back and close it…but that, of course, meant she had to pass Merry. "Ruby…" she whined, "will you go back to close my door with me? I left it open…"

Ruby smiled. "Would you like to wait here while I go close the door?" She put a supportive arm around her friend's shoulders. "I don't mind."

Azaelia shook her head. "No, it's probably for the best that he see me hideous, can't do anything worse now can it?"

Ruby sighed, smiling. "All righty." She linked arms with Azaelia and together they walked back toward the house. As they neared the very cute fuzzy blonde, Ruby gave Azaelia a little. "Go on, I know you want to talk to him."

Azaelia's eyes widened and she stumbled forward, almost falling into Merry. "H-hallo Merry." She looked down at her dirty gardening dress and tried to dust off some of the dirt still clinging to it.

Merry smiled his cute, goofy smile and dipped into a very silly bow. "How are ya, Zaelia?"

Azaelia felt her heart leap. "I'm doin' good, and yourself?" She tried unsuccessfully to mat down her frizzy hair.

Ruby stepped up to Azaelia's side and gave her friend's hand a quick squeeze. Merry grinned.

"Better'n ever, I'must say." He swept into another one of his bows. "But I have to be runnin', miss's, Pip n' I are goin' for a..." He looked about slyly. "A walk."

Azaelia laughed. She knew what THAT meant. Many a time she had accompanied Merry and Pippin on their…walks…

Ruby looked at Merry with concern, attempting to mask her grin. "Merry, you better not be off to bother that poor old farmer again..."

Merry laughed out loud. "What? We're off to no trouble, Ruby, Pip an' I mean only for a bit of fun."

"Yes, but your idea of fun consists of getting into Farmer Maggot's crops and then running through the countryside trying to escape from his hounds!" Azaelia laughed, thinking to herself as she did so, "If I didn't have more roses to plant I'd come with you…"

Merry laughed again, trotting away down the path. "I'll tell Pippin hallo for you, bye!"

Ruby suppressed a blush. Pippin. Pip. Peregrin. Stupid annoying sweet cute kind Peregrin Took. She sighed, but put on a smile and waved good bye to Merry.

"Don't forget to close your door, Azaelia."

"I won't, thank you very much." Azaelia raised her voice and yelled after Merry, "And if you need to escape from the hounds again, just come back here and I'll get you a bit of tea!" To herself, she added, "Curse those roses. it would have been fun to join them again-for old time's sake." She looked over at Ruby and laughed. She knew her friend was thinking about Pippin. Yes, so she never actually told Azaelia about it…but best friends always know.

"Well, I'll let you get back to those roses of yours, Zeal, I will be returning to my walk." She turned back to the path and toward the trees of the wood, calling good bye to her friend.

Azaelia finished planting her roses and took a nice long bath. The lavender she grew made the best scent for baths. She'd have to get some to Ruby, or was it the Gardenia that Ruby liked…? Maybe it was none; she'd have to ask…

Ruby, now apart from her friends, allowed her smile to fall away and heaved sighed. It being late summer, the crisp morning air was gone and the hot sun was now making its appearance. She had lost her walk and now she would have to simply find a shady place to avoid the heat. Oh well. Maybe she'll make it for a walk the next day...maybe...To forget about the heat, Ruby switched off her perception of all things in reality and allowed herself to surrender to the thoughts of the land of her mind. A world where she went on cool morning walks, talking forever with him.

Azaelia heard a frantic knocking at her door just as she had taken the tea kettle off of the fire. "Right on time!" She giggled to herself as Merry and Pippin came running through the door, their arms full of vegetables. "I see we're hungrier than usual." She closed the door just as the hounds came running up her walkway. Merry grinned, breathless.

"I think we're getting faster, Pip, we've never made off with this much before!"

Azaelia laughed and poured them their tea.

"You must be getting faster! Those hounds were nearly 15 seconds behind you today! It's a new record!"

She saw Farmer Maggot coming down her walkway and ushered the two young hobbits into a spare room. She opened the door, assuring him there were no guilty hobbits in her house. When the coast was clear, she knocked on the door, her signal for "Hey. The coast be clear."

"Farmer Maggot's getting more and more suspicious; maybe you should start making the stretch a little further and try to make it to Ruby's house." Azaelia giggled at the thought of Ruby seeing Pippin at her door…

Pippin, past a mouth full of carrot, laughed, "But then that 15 seconds would shrink...you charm that old man fine enough for us, I think." Merry gave a laugh of agreement, flopping down at the table and beginning to stuff his own mouth. Azaelia shook her head.

"It's getting a lot tougher to shake him off now. He insists on inspecting my house. He's even suggesting that I'm hiding you in MY room, as if I'd ever do that!" She stopped, thinking about what she just said and blushed a little. She shook it off and got some bread and cheese for the two hobbits. Merry, oblivious, crammed some mushrooms into his mouth.

"Hey, that's an idea-next time, you should put us in the closet."

Ruby wandered through the wood, hardly noticing what she was doing or where she was going until she was ankle deep in a pond. She looked down at the now dampened hem of her dress and sat down on a dry rock by the pond. She left her feet in the water, enjoying the coolness of the crystal water against her feet. She sighed again, then mentally reprimanded herself for developing such a habit.

"Stupid Ruby, if you sigh like that all the time, everyone will think something is wrong and we simply can't have anyone thinking something is wrong with us...especially not..."

She sighed. Again with the sighing! Oh well...She laid back on the warm rock and stared up into the canopy and fell asleep, and dreamed of black clouds and raging waves.

Ruby woke up to Azaelia shaking her gently. It was getting dark out.

"You're going to catch yourself a nasty cold if you don't stop doing this! Come on…Hey, want to sleep over at my house tonight? I have a couple of your dresses to return to you anyway. I could make you your favorite tea, or maybe we could snack on some of the vegetables Pippin left for you?" Azaelia loved teasing Ruby, only a little though. Ruby shrugged, yawning.

"I'll never sleep tonight." She said, smiling a little. "I don't know why I still take those naps..." She laughed, following Azaelia back to her house.

Azaelia walked with bounce in her step as she thought of the stew cooking over the fire, chock full of fresh vegetables and herbs, and some chicken as well. Then there was the sourdough bread that was just setting out to cool. She had invited Merry, Pippin, Sam, Rosie and Frodo over for dinner. They did this often…which makes sense, when you think of it. Best friends like to eat together. Food is a healthy hobby, you know.

Ruby was surprised when she walked into Azaelia's house to find all her childhood friends mingling in the front room. As she scanned the crowd, her eyes fell on Pippin. Oh what a sight he was. Everyone thought he was clumsy and awkward, and in truth he was, but she thought he was lovely. His hair was just darker than hers, and longer, too. He was wearing his uniform of a yellow scarf and blue-green jacket. He was laughing and talking with Rosie and Merry. She looked away, slipping shyly behind Azaelia.

"Don't worry Ruby, if I have to be courageous with Merry, you can try to put aside your shyness just once, it's not like your birthday comes everyday you know!" Azaelia whispered in Ruby's ear.

Ruby stood suddenly very straight. She hadn't noticed the beautiful, bright packages in everyone's arms at first.

"Oh, stupid Ruby," she thought, "How could you forget your own birthday?"

Now she found herself more speechless and shy than before. All these people gathered together for her birthday, and without her even knowing it. Ruby felt oddly special in that moment, looking at the group of happy people who had still yet to notice her arrival.

Azaelia laughed softly. "My gift's in my room-go in and try it on. It should be just the right size!"

Azaelia shoved her down the hall. Waiting in her room was a lovely dress, one that Ruby had been longing for ever since she saw it on a passing hobbit from another town. Azaelia had made her one just like it. She hoped the velvet was what she wanted.

Ruby was happy to slip into Azaelia's room undetected. She looked at the box nestled safely in the middle of her friend's bed. She opened it and removed the protective paper covering. Instantly, her breath was stolen from her. Inside was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. Everything about it was deepest velvet, the finest she had ever seen or felt. It fell heavily about her ankles in shimmering folds of gray. The bodice was black and red velvet, embroidered with a twisting, silver design. The collar of the dress dipped low, disappearing beneath the bodice. The sleeves laced up the length of her upper arms with red and black cording, then gave way to long, draping gray velvet curtains, exposing the even cream color of her skin. She turned to her best friend and threw her arms around her.

"Oh, Zaelia, how did you know? How did you know how much I loved that dress? Oh, Zaelia, how can I ever thank you?"

Azaelia smiled and returned the hug. "The velvet was not without its faults though, the pinpricks are testimony enough. Now put it on and flaunt it! You deserve it! You're going to catch a thousand eyes in that outfit!" Azaelia giggled lightly as she left the room and went to finish the cake.

Ruby blushed. There was only one person in all of Middle Earth that she wished she could catch the eye of. But there was no way it could ever happen, and no way for anyone to ever know. Some of that sadness from earlier in the afternoon hit her like a rock, but as she put the dress on, it faded away. It truly was a beautiful dress. The problem now was...going into public in it. She was so embarrassed by how lovely she looked. Was she overdressed? Would they think she was overdoing it? Was she trying to hard to get his attention? No...Impossible, she'd never even tried to get it in the first place. Oh, the agony of being noticed...

Azaelia knew her best friend well enough. She let Ruby be noticed on her own, instead of announcing her as everyone was accustomed to. Everyone commented on how lovely she was in the dress. Pippin even said a few things about. Ruby, embarrassed by all the attention, retreated to a comfy chair in the corner of the room to watch everyone enjoy themselves. It was habit, she supposed, for her to seat herself slightly apart from everyone...she didn't like to crowd. Besides, she loved watching people.

Azaelia brought in the cake and the candles and held it in front of Ruby, starting the birthday song. Once the song was finished, Ruby got to blow out the candles. Everyone watched the cake, waiting with watering mouths for a slice of their own. She had Pippin give Ruby her slice and, out of the kindness of her heart, gave Merry the wooden spoon, covered thickly in delicious frosting. Then again…she'd do anything to get that goofy smile out of Merry…And Merry obliged, not only with his smile, but with a loud "whoop" and a hug. Funny, how a little frosting could make a young hobbit so happy...Ruby took her slice of cake from the cute, smiling hobbit standing in front of her, thanking him quietly before returning to her corner.

She never knew what to say to him. Not since...well, you know. Not since before things. Before, when they were young, they would talk for hours upon hours about everything and nothing all at the same time. How Ruby did miss and long for those days...

Azaelia blushed at making Merry so, well, merry. She smiled and looked to Ruby, wishing there was something she could do to make her smile for Pippin. When Ruby smiled, she could see Pip look at her with a bit of a different light…something not unlike to how Ruby looked at him; but she couldn't get Ruby's hopes up until she was sure he returned the feelings…which, she hated to admit, in truth, was somewhat unlikely…stupid Took.


	2. Chapter 2 Lunatic Gate

She finished cutting the cake and passed out the last of the slices, then ducked into the kitchen for extra drinks. Out of the corner of her eyes, Azaelia saw something out the window. It looked like a cloaked figure riding a horse. But it couldn't be; no one out of the ordinary ever came to Buckleberry Fern. It was just a flash, merely a moment. It were gone now, no worries…

"Hey, Azaelia, what's up?" Merry asked around the still-frosted spoon.

"I-I thought I saw something…a black rider of sorts, but it was one of the big folk, and it almost looked like-oh nevermind. Whatever it was-whoever it was is gone now."

Merry's eyes glanced toward the window with the faintest inklings of concern. But he shrugged it off. "Eh, it's dark. Could'a been anything. Com'on, let's enjoy the party." He placed a hand on Azaelia's back and led her back to the group. She looked back at the window and shuddered.

"Yes…let's go back to the party…"

When Azaelia reentered the room, Ruby could see something was bothering her, but before she had a chance to ask what it was, her old grin was back and she was calling out, "Presents! Presents!"

With a yell and a cheer, Ruby's many friends made her sit in a chair in the center of the room, each presenting her with a gift. Before the ritual began, however, Azaelia made it plain and clear that her gift was the beautiful thing that Ruby was wearing. More showers of praise and complements ensued before Rosie presented Ruby with a lovely array of different red and black ribbons. She assumed that Azaelia had suggested the colors. Smiling, Ruby immediately tied them into her hair. Next came Sam, presenting her with an assortment of his very best smelling and most colorful flowers. Azaelia swept them up and placed them in a vase on a nearby table. Following Sam came Frodo, who, knowing well Ruby's love for writing, had put together a leather bound book of blank pages. Merry gave her a necklace of tiny, smooth pebbles that he said he had found in a pond, and Pippin gave her a bracelet much the same to the necklace. Hugs were exchanged, as well as much laughter and joking, and the evening was a lovely one.

Just as everyone was looking ready to go, Ruby decided that the last embarrassment would be hers to deal out. She turned to Azaelia, her chin in her hands. "Azaelia, I've been wondering…how is song of yours been coming?"

Azaelia's eyes widened as everyone turned to her. Ruby knew all too well that she was finished, and has heard it several times…but to sing in front of Merry…

"I-it's done. But it's not fitting to take the glory from your birthday."

Ruby smiled. "Why not another birthday present? Please? I've never heard you sing it seriously before, anyhow...you're always making faces while you sing it and ruin the mood!" Now that Ruby had gotten started, so did the other five hobbits. They began applauding and cheering, calling for a song.

"Com'on, Azaelia, you used to sing when we were kids all the time. Why not sing for us?" asked Merry, giving her a small push on the shoulder.

Azaelia blushed and stood up, fidgeting. She started out so softly, her friends could barely hear her…

"Though freedom flies on bended wings, you'll find it in the mountains. The song of life will be sung again, but only in the mountains. Across the plains on angels' wings, you'll find me in the mountains…"

A bit of confidence lodged itself inside of Azaelia and her voice grew and strengthened with it.

"The peace you find will soon fly again, but only in the mountains. The valleys then will bring you food, but safety's in the mountains. Then as a nation we'll all bring this song into the mountains. Though rocky they may sometimes be, our safety's in the mountains…"

The final note hung in the air. Azaelia smiled sheepishly. A little shaken, she took back to her seat.

For a moment no one said or did anything, merely watched her with content smiles as she sat back down.

"That was beautiful." Ruby whispered, giving her hand a squeeze.

When finally came the end of the night and all good byes were said, Azaelia and Ruby changed out of their party clothes and slipped into much more comfortable sleeping clothes. Together, they curled up by the fire. Ruby noticed her friend was a little distant.

"Zaelia, the song was so lovely..." She gave her a sly smile. "Merry seemed to be particularly enraptured."

Azaelia blushed and shook her head, "No, I don't think so. I think it was just the icing giving him a stomach ache."

Ruby poked her in the ribs, despite knowing that her friend wasn't ticklish, even in the slightest bit. "I didn't know stomach aches made you smile like a goober and stare at pretty girls..."

"No! He couldn't be all that interested…it was just the song, anyway…"

After a long moment of quiet, Ruby took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. She felt it was now time to confess.

"Zaelia...I'm afraid have a bit of a confession to make."

"Hmm? What is it Ruby?" Azaelia looked a little concerned.

"I...I'm in love with someone." She looked away shyly, now regretting having brought up the subject. Ooh, how she longed to take those words back. "With…Pippin."

Azaelia laughed a little. "Ruby, it's not like you have a disease! It's a good thing, and Pippin may be a little goofy—well, very goofy at times…but he's still a good choice."

Ruby blushed furiously, turning a color not unlike her own name. "He's a Took." She muttered, causing Azaelia to laugh.

"Yes, he's a Took!" Azaelia giggled more when she heard a knock at the front door. Only seconds later, a knock came from the back door, as well. "Would you go get the back door, Ruby? I'll get the front."

Thankful for an escape from the conversation, Ruby gladly went to the backdoor. She opened it, and there stood Merry.

"Hi there." He grinned. "I left my coat here, mind if I come get it?"

Ruby let him in, grateful that he was alone. She was not interested in allowing Pippin to see her in her night clothes. As Merry and Ruby made their way to the main room, a very, very cold chill overtook them. A very small, frightened sound came from the front hall and they rushed off to see what was wrong.

Azaelia opened the door and saw the black cloaked figure on the horse. She backed up a step, trembling. It was the one she had seen from the window of her kitchen earlier. She gasped, feeling her insides freeze solid as the man spoke.

"Shire…Baggins…" The eery, whispy voice took hold of Azaelia and she stumbled backward into her house. She shook her head and said,

"I-I don't know any Bagginses…and you have to go that way to the Shire…"

Azaelia pointed the man in the direction he had come from. The entirely opposite direction that he would need to go to get to Hobbiton. When he was gone, she slammed the door and collapsed to the ground. The rider let out a deathly scream as it tore away on its horse.

The scream chilled them worse than the rider's presence had before. Ruby and Merry rushed to Azaelia's side.

"What was that thing?" Ruby cried, hugging her frightened friend.

"What did it want with the Bagginses?" Merry wondered, lifting Azaelia off the ground and helping her to the main room.

"I-I don't know what it was…Merry, it was that thing I saw earlier…!" She was trembling all over, her insides still frozen from the encounter.

Merry looked at her with uncharacteristically concerned eyes. "I saw it, too. Now I wish we hadn't ignored it..."Ruby held tight to Azaelia's shaking hands.

"You were right to point that rider in the wrong direction, I think, Zaelia..."

"I-I couldn't let them harm Frodo, or anyone else in the shire…what if he comes back? He'll be mad for being pointed in the wrong direction…oh what should I do!" Azaelia buried her face in her hands.

Merry put a protective arm around her shoulders. "Come to my place. It's a way's walk, yes, but I think you'll be safe there." Ruby nodded emphatically.

"I think that would be wise. We'll take the back way through the woods."

Merry nodded his own agreement and then helped Azaelia back to her feet.

"Let's hurry, before he realizes what's happened. Ru, think you can help her get dressed?" Ruby nodded, taking her friend's arm and leading her down the hall and to her room.

Azaelia tried to steady herself as she moved down the hall with Ruby.

"Thank you, Ru." Her voice was shaky, as was the rest of her and it took her some effort to get into a dress. The one Ruby had chosen for her was mostly dark blues and purples, which they hoped would help to conceal her in the dark. Azaelia grabbed one other dress and walked down the hall. She grabbed a cloak off of the rack and found Merry's jacket there, as well. She took it down and handed it to him.

"I believe this belongs to you…" She struggled awhile to get her cloak's clasp closed, but her fingers were still a bit shaky.

"Curse this clasp!"

Merry caught her hands and in the exasperated tone of an older brother doing very well at being patient, said,

"Here, let me help you." He closed the brooch and smoothed the shoulders and hood if the cloak. "Better?"

"Yes, much…thank you."

Merry put a comforting arm about her shoulders. "Hey, don't worry." He whispered, Azaelia staring down at the floor. "Ruby and I'll take care of you."

Ruby rummaged through Azaelia's closet for those dresses she'd left there a few weeks prior. The first one she found, she put on; white shirt, purple skirt, and a black bodice. The other, a very red version of the one she was wearing, she stuffed into a backpack, calling to Azaelia that she would be using both that and one of her cloaks.

Once Azaelia and Ruby's extra clothes were packed and the pack securely on Ruby's back, they set off through the back door, down the back walk, and to the road.

"Maybe it would be best to stay off the road..." She whispered, hugging the borrowed cloak about her in the chill summer night air.

Azaelia nodded and walked silently behind Merry and Ruby. If this was any other night, she would have been chatting and blabbing until they begged her to be quiet, but tonight she was occupied, listening to the sounds of the night.

After a while's walking, Ruby grabbed Merry's arm, now realizing that her own was empty.

"Azaelia's gone!" She whispered frantically.

Quickly and quietly as they could, the two hobbits retraced their steps through the woods along the road, trying desperately to find their friend in the pressing dark. Ruby shivered. It was much too cold for a late-August night…Ruby grabbed again at Merry's sleeve and looked toward the road.

"I think I heard something fall…!"

The two of them went very still and peered through the trees and at the road. There was something very small huddled on the ground…Azaelia. They pulled her to her feet and into the trees just as two more riders passed down the road. After a few moments, they heard that terrifying shriek again. The three hobbits gasped and took off, running as fast as their legs could carry them toward Merry's house.

They ran through the trees and as they neared the edge of the forest across the road from Merry's house, they stopped and watched silently, waiting to see if the riders were coming. Once it was clear, they ran into the house and Azaelia slammed the door, then leaned against it. She slumped down, letting her weary legs rest. She hoped she never saw a rider again.

Ruby wrapped comforting arms around Azaelia's shoulders as she fought down her own fear. Merry crouched nearby, looking through the window, breathing hard.

"What's going on?" Someone asked from the door to kitchen. Ruby looked up to find Pippin standing in the door frame, a lump of bread and cheese in his hand.

"Shhh!" Cried Merry, motioning for him to avoid the windows.

After a few moments, Merry exchanged looks with the two girl hobbits. Then he stood up, clapping his hands and grinning. On Pippin's face lay a look of worry and confusion.

"Ha!" He cried, laughing, "Had you fooled, Didn't we, Pip?" Following suit, Ruby laughed.

"Ya! Good joke, Merry! He looked really scared there..."

Azaelia pretended to be disappointed that they'd play a trick like that on Pip.

"Aww," said Merry, pulling her to her feet, "It wasn't THAT bad. It's not like we're spinning some crazy tale about monsters or anything..."

"I guess you're right." She smiled and stood up shakily.

He whispered in her ear as he helped steady her, "You know as well as I do that those riders will only frighten him. We're safe now...we don't have to worry about them anymore."

"I know, I know…"She walked across the hall toward Pippin. "So when is our next trip to Farmer Maggot's? I'm coming with you this time!"

Pippin, the most oblivious Took that ever did Took, grinned, "We can go tomorrow, if you'd like."

"Good! And afterwards you both can have some the apples from my tree-red, delicious and sweet!"

Merry's eyes shown and his mouth watered. "Apples? Really?" Behind them, Ruby stifled a giggle.

"Yes, tomorrow will be the first day they'll be good to eat! They've been on that tree, reddening, getting sweeter and juicier with all the water I pour on, and don't forget all the sun we've been getting lately."

Finally, Ruby couldn't hold it anymore. She began laughing so hard, her sides ached. Merry looked about ready to burst with anticipation. Nearby, it seemed Pippin was suffering the same affliction. He moved over to where Ruby was standing and whispered,

"Looks to me like he'll soon drown in his own drool." This only caused further laughter, and before anyone knew it, they were having to support each other to keep from falling to the floor.

Azaelia smiled and stuck her tongue out at them. "So, tomorrow we go to Farmer Maggot's! And after that-apples! And if you two strong, tall men help me pick them," Azaelia put on her best innocent face, "Ruby and I will make you each a pie!"

Ruby calmed her laughter a little. She loved to bake and cook; in fact, she loved anything that involved making something. "Of course." She said, brushing tears from her eyes.

Merry and Pippin agreed happily. They loved apple pies, even though these particular pies would involve a little work. But they'd get apples, and apple pies, so all for!

"Now, if we want to go about this the smart way…" Azaelia put on a sly look "We'd best pick some apples before we go to Farmer Maggot's, so it looks like we've been picking apples since second breakfast!"

"Ah, a wise suggestion, Zaelia." Ruby grinned. Merry nodded emphatically. She knew exactly what was running through his head at that very moment...

"Apples apples apples apples apples APPLES!"

Azaelia giggled a little, knowing very well Merry's weak spot. "We'd best be getting to bed then so we can get up early and stop at my house before we go to Farmer Maggot's."

Merry insisted that the two girls take his room, whilst he and Pippin took the living room. After much debating, it was agreed upon and Azaelia and Ruby got ready for bed. Ruby, a little concerned although thoroughly entertained, wondered if Azaelia would even be able to sleep, pressed between the sheets and blankets of her Merry's bed.

Azaelia dressed once more in her sleeping clothes and looked around. She felt strange in Merry's room. "I feel so…awkward, I guess…being in his house is enough, but to be in his room…in his bed…" She blushed violently and sat on the window seat. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight, Ruby…"

Ruby sat beside her friend and placed a hand on hers. "I'm here with you, Zaelia, and Merry and Pippin are just a few rooms over." In an attempt to make Azaelia laugh, or at least smile, she added ruefully, "Well, Merry's a few rooms over. Those riders won't find us here, I'm sure of it. We'll be all right. Those mean looking riders can't possibly have much interest in our little green Shire."

Azaelia smiled and sighed. "Let's go to bed, then…we have a long day in front of us!" She pulled back the covers and settled in. "Mmm, his bed smells good…" She thought to herself and drifted off to sleep, though her dreams haunted her sleep and she tossed and turned all night.

If it weren't for her own exhaustion and thrashing, Ruby was sure Azaelia would have kept her up. The next morning they woke up refreshed, if not a little bruised. With the days' warm sunlight filtering in through the windows, the terror of the night before seemed a bit less unnerving.

Ruby got out of bed carefully, trying not to disturb her still sleeping friend. She got dressed and slipped out the front door. Merry seemed to have awoken in the same manor as she and was sitting awake in the kitchen when she got there. Again, that uncharacteristic solemnity darkened his face.

"Oh, Merry," she whispered, because mornings call for whispering, "Did you even sleep at all?" Merry shook his head and gave her the briefest glimpse of a smile.

"How is she?"

"All right. At least she slept, if not a bit fitfully. But then, I think we were all a bit frightened." She joined him at the table, where he sat spinning a cup of now-cold tea in his hands.

"What d'you think those things were?"

Ruby sighed and shook her head. "I don't know, I've never seen anything like them before..."

Merry took a sip of his tea and made a face, discovering that it was cold. He went to the fireplace where the teapot sat keeping warm and poured two new cups. He handed one to Ruby.

"Well, whatever they are...I hope they're gone away." And with that, the two hobbits sat quietly, sipping their tea.

Azaelia tossed and turned, and somehow got tangled up in the blankets after Ruby left. Dreaming that she was in chains, she made a final struggle and fell to the floor with a loud "THUD". Merry and Ruby heard a solemn "Ow…" come from the bedroom. Azaelia got dressed and came out, rubbing the side of her head as she sat at the table.

"Are you all right?" Ruby asked, patting the seat beside her. Merry passed her a cup of tea. He looked out the window.

"Well, if we're going to get to Farmer Maggot's, we should leave soon. Which means Pip needs to be drug from his nest." Ruby and Azaelia nodded their agreement, but made no motion to get up. It seemed as though Pippin was the only one truly enthusiastic about their day's upcoming excursion...

Azaelia smiled, a bit playfully, "We could always jump on him and tickle him."

Merry laughed. "That's a sight I would like to see..." But still, no movement whatsoever from the kitchen table.

Finally, Azaelia got up and marched into the living room, where they heard a surprised cry and laughter. Azaelia came back with a satisfied smile.

"Remembering ticklish spots has been proven very helpful!" She giggled as Pippin called from the living room,

"Ya ya, just because you were able to beat me up as a child doesn't mean you're still entitled to now!"

Ruby giggled, staring into her tea. How cute. Curse that Took. "You shouldn't tease him so, it's not very nice." But she couldn't fight her smile.

Azaelia laughed as Pippin joined them at the table. "But it's so easy, you just have to tickle right under the ribs-right here!" She poked Pippin's side. Pippin squeaked and leapt away from her. In his flight from Azaelia's assaulting fingers, his feet got caught up in each other and he stumbled and would have fallen, had it not been for Ruby and her chair breaking his fall. Blushing furiously as he stood back up, Ruby tried to hide away behind her hair. Ahhhhh. Bad thoughts.

Azaelia laughed furiously, whipping tears from her eyes. "And don't think I'd forget your ticklish spot, Merry! Right around the same place, but a little higher!" Merry's eyes widened, confirming her statement.

Ruby stood and retreated to the back of the kitchen where she began assembling an assortment of yummy picnic snacks, placing them inside the backpack she had brought from Azaelia's house. Azaelia followed, still laughing. She looked out the window and her face fell solemn.

"I want to get back here before nightfall…and I'd like to make sure my house is all right. I heard a loud noise coming from that way last night."

"I know...I heard them, too."

Ruby sighed and finished packing, being sure to leave plenty of room for the new vegetables and many, many apples for Merry. Azaelia became more anxious as she thought about her poor little hobbit hole. Soon she was pacing.

"Are we almost done?"

Ruby tightened the straps on the bag. "Yes. And we'll pass right by your house on our way."

"Why don't we have Merry and Pippin go ahead of us; we can pick a few apples and meet them at Farmer Maggot's. We don't want Pippin seeing my house if it is…"

Ruby nodded, pulling the pack onto her back. They returned to the main part of the kitchen where Merry and Pippin sat, stuffing themselves with bread and cheese.

"We need to stop at Zaelia's for a moment before we go, why don't you go on ahead of us?"

. "All right. Can you maybe pick a few apples?" Merry smiled that goofy grin and looked up at Ruby.

They promised that they would, and soon they split on their separate ways, Merry distracting Pippin with some story of his so he wouldn't notice that they were going the long way to Farmer Maggot's, instead of the short way, passed Azaelia's house.

Azaelia ran up her walkway when she reached the front gate and stood in horror looking at the scene in front of her. Her beautiful flowers were trampled, rose bushes uprooted, her front door lay on the ground, torn from its hinges, paper and various other items lay strewn on the floor and across her garden, broken, torn…

"My…my house…" Azaelia about sank to her knees, but curiosity pulled her into the dark recesses of her house. "Go pick some apples. We need to hurry to meet them at Farmer Maggot's." She bit her lip to keep from crying as she saw all that she loved torn, shattered and broken…beyond repair.

Ruby took Azaelia's hand and gave it a squeeze. "We'll make it shine, Zaelia...we'll make it grow again." She saw the tears in her dear friend's eyes and felt her own burn the corners of hers. She hugged Azaelia. "I promise-we'll make it beautiful again. The envy of all the Shire."

Together they wandered through the house. Azaelia found her father's wedding band on the floor. It was pure gold. She picked it up and put it on her thumb. That had always brought her comfort. It did now, but as she saw the last of the house it was too much to bear. Tears exploded from her eyes as she went to the back orchard and started picking apples for Merry.

The tree was ragged and almost barren. The sight of it made Ruby's heart break for both the tree's spirit and for her friend's. That tree was as old as the Shire. Seeing it so defiled brought the tears spilling from her eyes. Silent and tear streaked, they brought down every apple from the tree that was fit to bring down. Ruby packed them into a sack, then into the backpack. Back on went the pack and as they left Azaelia's yard, Ruby once again took her hand.

"We'll be back soon. And then we'll fix it. I'll make it better, Zaelia. Even if I have to fight all the riders off it myself."

Azaelia smiled and wiped away a tear. "Thank you. But Ruby, why would they do this to my house? Ever since my parents died everyone's left me well enough alone… They must be something Evil to be able to do this—this—this!" Her voice caught in her throat and she quieted as they came to Farmer Maggot's gate. Merry and Pippin were coming around the bend. She wiped away the last of her tears and smiled at the two as well as she could.

Ruby reached into her pack and threw the sack of apples at Merry. He caught it, stumbling into Pippin under the weight of it. Straightening himself, he gave a whoop. Within seconds, he was crunching down on the first one.

Azaelia smiled, even giggled a little when she saw him so happy. Her heart sank a little as she looked back in the direction of her home, laid to ruins. "Those are the best apples, and the only ones left…"

Ruby caught his eye and gave him a very Significant look. For a moment, Merry's guard went down. His eyes went wide and his mouth dropped slightly open. He looked down at the sack and back at the girls. "It's all gone?" Ruby and Azaelia nodded.

Azaelia bit her lip again, turning away, trying not to let Pippin see her. She couldn't ruin their fun, it wouldn't be fair.

Wonderful, sweet, oblivious Pippin pushed Farmer Maggot's gate open and gestured impatiently. "Come on-if we don't hurry, we won't be able to make this work."

Azaelia nodded and strangled a sob. She wiped at her eyes and followed Pippin and Ruby, with Merry following behind. She shook her head and looked for the carrot patch, figuring she'd start by picking a couple.

Quietly and carefully, the four hobbits browsed Farmer Maggot's crops. They were building up quite a collection and much time had passed when Ruby looked up and discovered something. She had absolutely no idea where Merry and Pippin were. Azaelia, who was harvesting close behind Ruby, bumped into her while lifting a cabbage.

"Why'd you stop?" She whispered curiously.

"Zaelia...where'd Merry and Pippin go?"

Azaelia stood up and looked around "Umm…" A small knot of fear bunched up in her stomach. "I…good question…maybe they're in the corn fields…should we go look there?"

"All right."

Ruby and Azaelia moved through the fields, but for the life of them couldn't find Merry and Pippin. The sun was high over head and the day had become very hot. The two hobbits decided to give up on their search for a little while; they'd rest in the woods a little before continuing.

Azaelia seated herself under a tree with Ruby when she heard a shrill scream. She leapt up, then realized that some dog had killed a rabbit.

"Bloody rabbit…must have gotten caught by one of Farmer Maggot's…" Azaelia stood there for a second, then heard the sound of dogs baying and feet running straight towards them, "dogs!"

Without thinking, the two of them ducked behind a log and hid to the best of their keen, hobbit ability. Azaelia and Ruby watched as Merry and Pippin ran out from the fields with Sam and Frodo behind them, Farmer Maggot and his dogs close behind. Then...they were gone.


	3. Chapter 3 Private Storm

Farmer Maggot and his dogs, having lost the boys, gave up and turned back for home.

Ruby and Azaelia got up and moved toward where they had disappeared and found a very steep ledge. But as they peered over the edge, the shriek and chill of the black riders grasped them. Again, they ducked in fear. Ruby crawled to the ledge and peered down. Merry and Pippin, along with Frodo and Sam, were hiding behind a rather large log and a few of the riders were…were sniffing the air. They were looking for them! Ruby gestured frantically for Azaelia to come.

"They're looking for us!" she mouthed.

Azaelia slid in next to Ruby on the side of the cliff and looked down. With both of their weight on the ledge, however, the weak dirt crumbled, sending both of them toppling down to the road below.

The two hobbits hit the ground hard, the wind knocked from their lungs. They heard the scream of the riders and struggled out of the bush they had landed it and into a tree. They climbed up into the thickest part of it and stayed as still and as quiet at they could. Azaelia looked around her, identifying the type of tree they were hiding in. Her face turned to panic as she realized it to be a maple tree; the one type of tree she was allergic to.

Ruby saw Azaelia preparing to give off a mighty sneeze and leapt on her, clamping her hand down hard over her face. Azaelia let out a tiny squeak as the sneeze escaped, but it sounded more like a bird chirping. Luckily for all of them, they had distracted the riders long enough for the four hobbits escape.

Ruby and Azaelia carefully and quietly climbed down from the tree and crossed the road, intending to find their friends and question them intensely. Azaelia sneezed again as she and Ruby disappeared into the trees. She followed Ruby until she heard a horse snort. She turned slowly and found a rider standing just a little down the road, but it had its back turned away from them. She gave a little gasp and gave Ruby a small push down the trail that Pippin, Merry, Frodo and Sam had forged only moments earlier.

Ruby bolted after Azaelia's touch, having spotted the same very black sight. They ran down the path, hoping to eventually find the boys, but although they stayed moving until well after dark, they just couldn't. She dropped to the ground, breathing heavy. Azaelia sat nearby and put her head between her knees. Ruby assumed she was still suffering her reaction to the tree.

"Oh Zaelia, we'll never find them," Ruby gasped, "and now I think we're lost."

Azaelia panted, very glad to be away from that blasted tree. She sneezed again and looked around very sadly. The only other place that had maple trees was by the river. She listened and heard a noise a ways away.

"Ruby…Ruby…I think we've found our way to the river! Maybe the boys crossed at Buckleberry Ferry, hoping to get away from those riders!"

Ruby looked about wildly. "Do you mean to tell me we've somehow managed to circle all the way back home!" In a flash, Ruby was on her feet and moving toward the river. She peered out from the edge of the safe cover of the trees, and sure enough, there was Buckleberry Ferry. Just miles from her house.

She was just thinking about going back home when she heard the shriek of the riders. They were riding hard down the roads on either side, leading to the ferry, and standing on the ferry...were the other hobbits! Frodo had just leapt and landed hard on the wooden raft and was now, along with the three other boys, floating away. Safe.

"Azaelia...I don't think the riders are after us." Ruby whispered. "I think they're after one of them."

Azaelia shook her head. "Yes, I think you're right, and if I remember correctly, the rider at my door said 'Shire, Baggins'…Ruby! That means he's after Frodo!"

Ruby clasped her hands to her mouth. Why hadn't she thought of that earlier? "Oh, Az, we have to help them get away! But...oh, but we don't know where to take them…"

"No, but we can follow them, and lour the riders away, if needs be. We can say we're Ruby and Azaelia Baggins or something-it might just save Frodo!"

Ruby nodded. "And if worst comes to worst, they could always go to Bree-they'd be hard to find amongst the big folk..."

"Yes they would. It's worth a shot! Let's go to Brandywine Bridge! It's 20 miles south of here, but we need to get following them right away."

Ruby nodded, adrenaline reviving her. She got to her feet and gave Azaelia her hand as she gave another large sneeze.

"We need to get you away from these trees..."

They hurried all night to get to the bridge; it took until almost dawn to get there. Azaelia was still sneezing occasionally. The line of trees was getting thinner, but there was still the occasional maple.

They crossed the bridge and met a very shaken up old hobbit there. He was seated on a rock, his dog huddle up beside him. When Ruby asked what had him so frightened, he said it was a cluster of riders in black. Azaelia asked where they were headed, and he said, "They took the road to Bree."

Azaelia nodded her head and looked at Ruby. "You were right-to Bree we go."

They pressed on, a gray mist of dawn leading the way to the town of men. When they reached Bree, they found the town in much distress. Most of the outer wall had somehow been knocked down and all around the people were frantic. They picked slowly through the town, trying not to get knocked over, stepped on, pushed, hit, kicked and other such unpleasentries hobbits had to suffer through in the world of humans. As they rounded a corner, a large man holding a carrot smashed right into them, knocking them to the muddy ground. As they struggled back to their feet, they saw a most peculiar sight-a very tall man leading away three very short people.

"Azaelia, it's them! It must be! Come on!" Ruby pulled Azaelia to her feet for what felt like the millionth time in the past two days and they took off after their friends.

"All right, then, let's go!" Azaelia sighed and pushed onward. She was getting very tired now and started stumbling behind Ruby.

Ruby reached her hand out to her friend. "I'm tired, too, but we have to keep up, or we'll loose them." She gave Azaelia an encouraging smile. "We'll stop when they stop, and if there's time, you can take a nap."

"I know, we'll keep going, I'll be all right, I'm just tired from sneezing all night. Did I ever tell you how much I hate maple trees?"

Ruby laughed a little, but the conversation soon died. Neither knew or understood all of what was going on around them, but both had the feeling that it was bad. The worst kind of bad. All morning, the two traveled, trying to keep their friends at least in their line of sight. Or hearing. Or something.


	4. Chapter 4 Mid Nite Warriors

Azaelia followed Ruby silently. Night fell before they were able to stop. They came to a great hill top, and saw a fire near the top.

"Ruby, I need to stop." Azaelia panted and fell to her knees.

"No, Zaelia, please, just a little further. Just to the trees there at that hill. It's not safe here..." Ruby looked around and shivered. "We have no cover here."

Azaelia stood up. She was incredibly dizzy and Ruby could see it by the way she swayed when she stood up. Without a word Azaelia walked along, following her friend. They finally made it to the trees and Azaelia collapsed to the ground.

Ruby felt badly for driving her friend so hard, but they needed to make sure they were safe. As Azaelia lay on the ground, she got food out. She had no strength to build a fire and cook, so she merely passed some vegetables on to her friend.

"Try to eat before you fall asleep."

Azaelia took an apple from her friend, looked at it and smiled. "I wonder if Merry's eating an apple right now…"

Ruby laughed. "Probably." They ate a little, then she turned to Azaelia. "I want you to try and get some sleep, I'm going to go check on the others."

"But you need rest too! You've been up longer than I have!"

Ruby put her hand on Azaelia's. "Not that much longer. It's all right, I'll only be a minute. Then I'll sleep, too." She stood up and slowly began to scale the very steep rock face of the hill, toward the fire.

Azaelia couldn't sleep while her friend was all alone. She sat up and watched Ruby climb.

Halfway up, the fire was put out, and a cold wind swept up. The shriek of the riders filled Ruby's head and she held onto the rocks for dear life.

Azaelia's heart leapt. The fire had gone out and now the riders were coming. She looked around frantically and saw five of them climbing up the cliff, one of them right under Ruby!

Deciding that she couldn't hang onto the rock all night, Ruby continued her climb to the top. Pulling herself all the way up, she saw the hobbits surrounded by four of the riders. Gasping, she rolled behind a rock, just as a sixth reined his horse right up to where she had just been. Breathing hard, she peered over the rock. The hobbits were trying their best to fight against them, but all four were separated. Then she saw the most terrifying thing. Frodo disappeared. And not in the same manor as before, when he fell over the cliff. He just vanished. All the riders present turned away from the other hobbits and advanced to where he had been mere seconds before.

They reached their hands down toward where she assumed Frodo must have been, then retracted them. One rider plunged his sword down, and Frodo appeared, screaming out in pain. Ruby was about to stand and leap on the riders when from above her leapt a tall man in black, wielding a sword and a torch.

Ruby dropped back down to the ground and watched as the man fought off each of the riders. When they had all fled, the man dropped to Frodo's side. She strained her little pointed ears to hear their conversation, then scaled down closer to them. She heard words like, "Wraith" and "Nasgoul", "Mordor" and "Strider". As she listened in, she put a few things together and returned to where she and Azaelia had set up camp to tell her, but when she got there, Azaelia was no where to be found. She began to panic. What if those...those things had gotten her?

Azaelia was panicked by now. She was about to climb up there when she saw someone back at where they had left their stuff. Mustering all her courage, she ran back and tackled the creature, hearing a stifled, "Get off'a me you dumb Danderfluff!" Azaelia quickly retreated and found Ruby under her.

Now a little irritated on top of afraid and tired, Ruby yelled, "Azaelia Danderfluff, you should have slept while you had the chance!" Then tossed her cloak at her and put on her pack, following after the retreating forms of the four hobbits and the tall man.

Azaelia gathered up her things and followed along as quickly as she could. They followed the man as he carried Frodo with the other three hobbits trailing behind. They lost them for a little, but somehow managed to follow their trail. Azaelia about fell onto the place where Sam was looking for something called Kingsfoil.

Ruby grabbed onto the back of Azaelia's shirt, pulling her backward before she ran smack into Sam. "Careful!" She hissed, not wanting to be caught.

Azaelia bowed her head. "Sorry." she whispered solemnly

Ruby moved quietly through the woods, then snuck quietly up to the circle of stone trolls where the other hobbits lay as exhausted as they were.

"So Bilbo's stories were true..." Azaelia whispered. Ruby shh'shed her, finding a safe place to watch over their friends. She wanted so badly to tell Azaelia what she had found out, but now was not the time.

After a few minutes, the man appeared in the field, followed by a beautiful Elven woman leading a white horse. They lifted Frodo onto the horse and argued a moment in hushed Elvish.

"What are you doing!" Sam yelled as the woman mounted the horse. "Those wraiths are out there!" As she and Frodo rode away, Azaelia looked at Ruby.

"Wraiths?" She mouthed.

Ruby nodded. "The riders."

It looked as though the man in black wanted to leave right then, but Sam, Merry, and Pippin were clearly too tired to go any further. He allowed them to sleep, and sleep they did. Ruby and Azaelia quickly followed suit. The next morning they were on the move again. Ruby tried to place themselves into a following position that would allow them to talk. Quietly, she whispered the little bit she knew to Azaelia.

"Wow, these things are worse than we thought…"

"Well...whatever a Wraith is, that is what those riders are; they come from Mordor. And it's true-They are after Frodo. He has something they want, and whatever it is...it makes him vanish from sight."

Azaelia's eyes widened and her mouth hung slightly open. "It does? I wonder what it is…"

Ruby shook her head. "I don't know. But what I do know..." She looked sidelong at Azaelia. "I know where we're going."

"Where?"

"That Elf woman...I know enough Elvish to know her name is Arwen. She is taking Frodo to 'her father's' house. And last night, after you'd fallen asleep, I heard that man, Strider-yes, that is what they call him-say something about Rivendell. We are going to the home of Elrond."

"Wow, we get to see more Elves!"

Ruby didn't reply. She had a bad feeling. Something was going to happen there, in Rivendell. Something very important.

Azaelia pulled Ruby back just as one of the larger branches swung back and almost hit her in the face."Watch where you're going Ru, or we'll end up wraith meat for sure!"

Ruby smiled faintly. She envied Azaelia's freshness. She had gotten a whole night's sleep, unlike Ruby, who was awake trying to learn more. She so wanted to question that Strider.

Azaelia decided to take the lead for a little and let Ruby to her own thoughts.

When they rested that afternoon, Ruby claimed she had eaten plenty for breakfast and wasn't hungry, just so that she could instead take a short nap. Azaelia, however, knew better, but decided not to argue. If worse came to worse, Ruby could always eat while they walked. She giggled when she spotted an apple core on the side of the road. She was glad that Merry was enjoying the apples.


	5. Chapter 5 Only Lonely Glory

It took over a week of traveling to reach Rivendell. Ruby was sad that they could only camp outside the beautiful city. But she knew that if they were to reveal themselves, they would be sent home. If only she knew what was happening in there! Was Frodo all right? What was going to happen there that was so important?

To keep themselves busy, she and Azaelia set about plotting an invasion of the city's food stores. They needed a supply of as much food as they could possibly carry. And Ruby was determined to find a small pack or something for Azaelia.

After a few days' hiding in the trees surrounding Rivendell, Ruby was getting restless. She could sense a change in the very energies of the place and, as Azaelia took a mid-afternoon nap, snuck out to take a look around. There was an oddly small number of Elves about the place. She wondered if they were assembled for some meeting of or something. Over the past days she'd seen many different peoples-men, dwarves and elves, alike...

"Well," Ruby thought, "Now's as good a time as any. Off to the store houses."

One thing about the days at Rivendell-those uneventful, lulling days-that proved helpful was all the time it gave both Ruby and Azaelia to wonder and explore. She knew now exactly where to go to get into the places with the very best food. There was one storage room with a window left almost always open, and in there was all sorts of delicious things. She had even found a small pack there, probably left by some small child called away from a game and then forgotten. Needless to say, she took it, and made great fun of telling Azaelia that she'd have to carry her own weight from then on.

Ruby carried both packs and loaded them with dried meats, fat loaves of bread, several water skins filled to brim, and a strange flat bread that had, only days before, given Azaelia the worst of stomach aches...she had noted at the time that it was wise not to eat six slabs at one time.

Ruby's excursion went entirely unnoticed and uninterrupted for a good while until, in the sunny, warm afternoon, the ground shook and the skies darkened all around her. She held very still until all was clear again, then bolted back to her camp, deciding that the packs were quite full enough.

Azaelia had made a point of taking frequent naps, for she would need the rest when she and Ruby would again take to following the other hobbits back home…but what if they weren't going home? Ruby said something about a feeling she had; that the journey had only just begun. Azaelia pondered this. After a few moments, she saw Ruby rushing toward her.

"Do you know what that sudden shake and darkness was about?" Ruby asked, a little breathless.

"No…but I could have sworn I heard Gandalf's voice. Maybe he'd know what it was…"

The two hobbits sat in the shade of the trees, expecting the day to finish out as boring as all the others, but to their surprise, at the end of the day, a procession of people with backpacks passed by. That Strider man, another man, an elf, a dwarf, and the four hobbits. Ruby shook Azaelia out of yet another nap and tossed her pack at her.

"Come on, we're movin'!"

"Already? Can't I have just five more minutes?" Azaelia turned back over and closed her eyes again, only to be shaken more violently.

"AZAELIA DANDERFLUFF, IF YOU DO NOT WAKE UP THIS INSTANT I WILL MAKE YOU HURT SO BAD-"

Azaelia's eyes shot open and she stood up, almost falling over from the still-present sleepiness.

Ruby hissed again at Azaelia to be quiet, pressing the pack into her arms. Just as the group of nine disappeared from sight and the party seeing them off returned to the city, Ruby and Azaelia followed.

Azaelia followed behind Ruby. As soon as they had moved away from Rivendell, all had become silent. Not a single bird chirped, not a squirrel twittered. Azaelia wasn't watching where she was going and tripped over something hard and wet. When she looked down, she saw an apple core.

"You know…" She mused, standing up, "Sometimes it's annoying seeing, and feeling, the benefits of charity…"

"Hey, take it as a proof that we haven't lost them yet." Ruby adjusted the straps of her pack and pushed the sleeves of her shirt up a little on her arms. Despite it being mid-October, it certainly was hot.

Azaelia pouted as they walked. "Ruby, just what are we doing out here following them? Why are we going as well? I don't quite remember. I miss the Shire. And my gardens, even though they're all trampled and destroyed…"

Ruby faltered. Why were they following them? All she knew was that she was very intent on it.

"Well…we were going to protect them from those riders...but we haven't seen them in weeks." Ruby understood and shared the feeling of missing the Shire. But all the same, she did like the feeling of purpose following this group of people brought to her. "You can go home, you know. I guess I'm still worried about Frodo and the others..."

Azaelia sighed and nodded. "I guess you're right…I'm worried, too…and I feel like there's still a long way to go before we'll be able to go home. Whatever Frodo and the others are doing, it's important…I want to help them if I get the chance…but I'm so weak, what could I do against the riders if we met them again?"

Ruby reached around her and into her pack. She pulled something out and tossed it to Azaelia. "Elvish steal. According to Bilbo, it's powerful stuff. I found them in Rivendell." She removed her own and strapped it around her waist. "And as for the length of the journey...in a strange, morbid sort of way…" Ruby paused, unsure of the proper way to word her feelings. "Zaelia...I've been wanting to visit the world outside the Shire for a long time, now. I'm...I'm looking forward to this. I don't want to go back home, not just yet."

"Oh Ruby, how I do miss the Shire…but I have nothing to go home to! No home, no gardens…nothing nice, anyway…I can still remember hearing Bilbo's songs and stories, and oh, how many times I would imagine myself to be on one of his quests with him!…saving the world…being a hero…it all sounded so wonderful…but now I'm here, and I'm too afraid…"

Ruby slowed her pace a little so she could walk by Azaelia's side. "Hey, hey, hey, no more tears, all right? Being afraid is fine, no one's asking you to be fearless..." She gave her friend's hand a squeeze.

Azaelia, head bowed, nodded. "Why does it have to be that for your whole life you imagine yourself fearless? It doesn't make sense sometimes."

"I've never imagined myself fearless... I've always see myself running away. That's why..." Ruby paused a moment, searching again for the right words. "That's why I won't run away from this. This is as much a test of my love for my friends as it is of my own courage."

Azaelia sighed, smiled, then laughed a little. "You've always been fearless! Remember when that badger got into my house and hid in my pantry? You were the one to chase it out-or, well, it chased you out-but either way, you got it out of my house."

Ruby stuck her tongue out at her. "YOU were the one that was screaming, 'Get it out! Get it out!' and BEGGING me to hit it with a stick."

Azaelia laughed again. "See? You were the fearless one. You got it out of my house while I stood on the table and watched you chase it out."

"No, remember? It chased ME out. Yelling and screaming."

Az laughed, big and happy, and right out loud. Ruby, remembering where they were, sh'shed her.

"Quiet, dummy, or they'll hear us!"

Azaelia turned silent again, but could not stifle her smile as she kept her eyes on the road.

The days past and they spent little time resting. Whatever mission this group of people had been given, they were determined to complete it.

One day Ruby decided to try a little spying. She crawled into the bushes and crept as quietly and carefully as she could toward the camp. There she heard some most interesting conversation. Terms like "the Ring," and "Sauron," caught her ears, "Fellowship," and many names. Five of the nine she already recognized; Merry, Pippin, Frodo, Sam, and Gandalf, who was a happy sight, indeed. With Gandalf in this fellowship she almost convinced herself she could go home. But along with them was Strider-Aragorn, as it seemed. Next came the elf, Legolas, and the dwarf, Ghimli, and then other man, whose name was Boromir. She also heard talk of another enemy, Sarumon, who seemed to have been quite dear to Gandalf at one time. Ruby's quick mind began to put the names and terms together and a tight knot of fear formed inside her. She had to clasp her hands over her mouth to keep them from hearing her.

"This is impossible..." She thought, "Impossible!" She wormed her way out of the bushes and quietly back to Azaelia, right on the verge of panic.

When she got there, she dropped to the ground, breathing in gasps so faint she could hardly breathe. "It cannot be..."

Azaelia was peering over an edge and watching Merry and Pippin learn the sword. She giggled a little and had to contain her laughter when the two hobbits tackled the big man. Then the other man, the one Ruby had said was named was Strider, came to help and they pulled his feet out from under him. Merry dropped an apple on the ground and it rolled to where Ruby had just dropped, panting. Azaelia's face turned to a frown.

"What happened, Ruby? What's the matter?"

Ruby grabbed her friend's arms with all her strength, although for two reasons; to try and press the importance of the situation upon her and to steady her own nerves.

"Zaelia, something very, very bad is happening. Very. Very. Bad." She glanced to where Merry and Pippin were now wrestling the two men. "Have you been paying attention to that sword instruction?"

"Yes, why?"

"BecauseI…I think we are really going to want to be able to fight, too." She gave Azaelia a very Significant look. "As well as we can."

Azaelia looked at Ruby quizzically. "Why would we need to learn that?"

"Zaelia..." Ruby said in a whisper, "We're going to...to Mordor!"

"You don't mean…but why are they going there!"

"I don't know why...but it has to do with Sauron. And the One Ring." Ruby paused, looking around, as if just speaking of this would bring Sauron himself upon them. "Frodo has it. Remember Bilbo's old ring…?" Azaelia's eyes widened and she clasped her hands to her mouth.

"Oh my…!"

"These people...they call themelves the Fellowship of the Ring. They're taking the ring to Mordor."

Azaelia was quiet for a long time, just sitting there with her hands over her mouth.

At that moment they heard what sounded like birds and the camp of the fellowship scattering, and…hiding?

"Ruby, I think we need to hide…hurry!"

Ruby looked around at the birds overhead. Something about them was so...wrong. What were birds like that doing out in the mountains? She dove under a large rock, pulling her pack down on top of her. Azaelia, likewise, hurried under a bush just as the birds flew over the fellowship's camp, then circled over the girls.

After a few moments, the birds passed and the two hobbits came hesitantly out of hiding. They heard the sounds of movement above them.

"And we're off. Grab your pack and keep your sword handy, Zaelia."

Azaelia nodded her head and grabbed her pack, belting her sword at her side. "I hope we'll be able to follow them all right, it looks like they want to go over those mountains."

Ruby said nothing, only pressed harder after the fellowship. Up into the mountains they went, pressing higher and higher and into the snow. Ruby and Azaelia were forced to put the fellowship about a half a days' travel ahead, as they had run out of cover. All there was...was snow.

On one afternoon in the snow, a voice was heard on the wind. Snow crashed down a ways up the mountain, then avalanched down toward them. Ruby grabbed Azaelia's hand and the two struggled to keep above it all. Another voice was heard, in some sort of response to the first. Ruby recognized it instantly as Gandalf's. They worked their way up the mountain side, wanting desperately to catch up with their fellowship. Their fellowship? Yes, theirs. At first it seemed odd to Ruby that she would call them that; claiming this group of hobbit, elf, dwarf and man as her own. But it seemed fitting, almost. Even right, in some odd sort of way.

Azaelia and Ruby watched as their fellowship broke free of a large bank of snow. After a few moments those started trudging back down them mountain. Ruby grabbed Azaelia and leapt into a loose pile of snow, burying themselves in its freezing depths.

Azaelia shivered as she heard the fellowship passing by. They were saying something about Moria, and mines. The two hobbits waited for a few minutes after the fellowship had left before climbing out of the snow.

"Dwarf tunnels." Ruby whispered, comprehension dawning. "They're going underground!" Her mind reeled with old ghost stories of drwarvin mines. Was this change in travel really such a wise decision? Or maybe a last resort…? Ruby didn't know. She just followed.


	6. Chapter 6 Sleep in the Water

Another several days of traveling brought them to another mountain-scape, except this one was empty of snow. Instead, they were barraged by winds. When they came to a small valley, centered with a lake, Azaelia and Ruby were happy to sit.

Ruby and Azaelia scaled the rocks above the fellowship and came down on their other side. Azaelia watched carefully as a door appear in the cliff wall. Gandalf stood before it for several hours, trying what seemed to be every word, phrase, spell, and incantation he knew in an attempt to get through, but each failed.

Sitting there, waiting for the doors to be opened, Ruby stared into the glass-smooth lake beside them. Something about it frightened her, which was unusual. She loved water. But this lake had an evil sort of darkness to it. Like it really was glass, and would shatter to a million pieces if it were disturbed, which would explain why she had to cover her mouth when the surface moved. Pippin and Merry were throwing rocks. Shuddering, Ruby turned away from the lake, but not before seeing something stir in its depths. She stared again, as hard as her green eyes could, but the movement had passed and there was nothing.

Finally smart Frodo said something about the Elvish word for 'friend', and this seemed to work. The wall opened and the fellowship walked in.

Azaelia grabbed Ruby's shoulder and pulled her toward the mines. In they went, before the fellowship had a chance to spot them. They huddled against the wall, waiting. A light suddenly pressed away the darkness to reveal Gandalf holding his staff ahead of him. Leave it to the clever wizard to add a light to the situation. Azaelia gave a squeak of fear and grabbed Ruby.

"This is no mine…it's a tomb." Said Boromir. And it was. Skeletons covered the ground.

"Goblins." Legolas studied the arrows piercing many of the dead. Ghimli let out a cry of pain and surprised; he must have known these people. The fellowship moved to leave the mine, but when they reached the door, something attacked them.

So she had seen something in the water! "Stupid hobbit, you should have studied that water more carefully!" Ruby yelled in her mind as she leapt to her feet, pressed against the wall, sword drawn. The creature, with its many seething limbs, had grabbed Frodo and was pulling him toward it. The members of the fellowship threw themselves at it, trying to save him. What could she do! She had personally assigned herself a protector to these people, and now she did nothing! Fear anchored her feet to the ground. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself off the wall, slipping out of the mine and to the hiding place behind the rocks she'd just left.

She crouched there, wondering what she should do. Then she remembered something. When she was young, Pippin had taught her how to skip rocks. She looked around in the gravel, found several flat, sharp rocks, and began hurling them at the creature. At first, it seemed she was doing nothing to deter this thing from its mission, but one rock managed to wedge itself in its eye, and another down the throat of its gaping mouth. A tremor of pain racked the creature, giving the fellowship time to cut Frodo free. She ran back into the mine after the fellowship and grabbed Azaelia, pulling her after the fading light of Gandalf's staff, barely missing the creature's last attempt at grabbing hold at something alive.

Azaelia ran along, stumbling in the dark. At first they were able to follow the fellowship, but soon they got separated and found themselves wandering about. It was pitch dark in this mine, but in a few places light managed to travel through long, tunneled windows and into corridors and rooms. They picked about in the death strewn halls, listening with all their might for something…anything…alive.

As they passed down one hallway, something glinted in the corner of Ruby's eye. She grabbed Azaelia's arm, turning them into a little room with what looked like a tomb of some kind and a well placed in its center. Sitting at the base of the well was a skeleton, and beneath the skeleton lay a couple battle axes.

They stared for moment before Ruby gestured for her to get the axes, for you see, the skeleton was covered in cobwebs, as was everything else in the room. Ruby detested and feared anything that crawled. Especially spiders. Azaelia, very reluctantly, lifted the skeleton and sat it on the well and grabbed the axes. She handed one to Ruby and off they went, wandering down several flights of stairs, just missing the fellowship as they came up.

The silence of the place seemed almost physical. It consumed the two hobbits and all but stole sound before it even came to be. In this silence, Azaelia and Ruby heard something rattling around from above them. They looked up, frightened by the sudden loud noise. In the gloom, something smashed down at their feet. Then another something. And another. It was a skeleton, and a very old bucket and chain. With a scream, the two were no longer in this lower hall.

In their flight from the skeleton, Ruby thought she heard something...the sound of a thousand things…crawling. The sound echoed all around them. Then the sound of huge, thundering steps and roaring filled her ears. She clamped her hands down hard over her mouth, taking slow, deep breaths. Had to regain control. Had to be quiet. Couldn't think of herself. There were others that, at this point, mattered more. She began to feel her way through the dark, trying to find a staircase or something that would help her and Azaelia get back to their fellowship.

Eventually Ruby and Azaelia found the fellowship, but in the most unlikely of places. They ran out onto a ledge leaning out over a cavern deeper than the deepest of things they had ever seen. There was a big crack of light and they looked up and across the huge and expansive place, trying to make out what they saw in the distance.

There they were, standing at one end of a very long bridge, and in the middle of the bridge stood Gandalf, his staff held in front of him in a blaze of light. Goblins fired arrows from every imaginable direction. But the most frightening of all these sights, more than the size of the cavern, more than depth of its floor, more than the goblins, more than the danger the fellowship was in, was the creature standing on the bridge before Gandalf. It was huge-enormous! And every inch of its body was alight with flame and clouded by smoke. Horns curled around its head like a ram, but this monster was no mere sheep.

Ruby grabbed Azaelia and ducked behind a large chunk of broken rock just as an arrow about pierced through her. They watched in horror as Gandalf sent the other members of the fellowship ahead of him, turning back to confront the large, bull-horned creature of fire alone.

Ruby felt Azaelia's hand on her shoulder. "Look!" she cried, "Look what I found!" In Azaelia's hands laid a small bow and a quiver of arrows. Ruby nodded, a morbid smile on her lips. Finally, they could really help. Azaelia tossed the quiver on her back and began firing with expert accuracy. Ruby gawked at her.

"When did you learn to do that?" She cried.

Azaelia smiled almost bashfully in mid-fire, hitting a goblin in the dead center of its heart. "I went hunting once or twice with my father before he died, and he gave me his old bow and I practiced every chance I got on the haystack out back…"

Ruby let out a bark of laughter, looking down to check on her fellowship. Things were looking...at a stand still. Gandalf wouldn't move from his place before the monster and the others wouldn't leave without him.

"Azaelia...would breaking the bridge do us any good? If I were the shove this rock over the edge..." Ruby's voice trailed off and she chewed on her lip. It wouldn't take more than a bit of pushing; the thing was just teetering off the edge as it was.

"I say do it; it's possible that it might fall on that thing…can you do it?" Azaelia bowed down another goblin.

Ruby nodded. "I think so." She glanced at Azaelia, "Do you think all the wrestling and roughhousing when we were kids still left some strength in me?" she glanced at the quiver of arrows. There were probably only ten or so left. "And be careful with how you use those-we might run here real' soon."

Azaelia ducked as a few arrows were fired at them. Ruby crouched, positioning herself behind the rock. "I think I'll have just enough if they keep firing at us like this! Now hurry, who knows how long Gandalf can keep that thing back!"

Ruby looked back down at the fellowship and hiked her sleeves up. She dropped the pack and her cloak and bent low, placing her shoulder, cheek, and both hands against the rock. Taking a deep breath, she pushed with all the strength and force she could possibly muster together.

At first, the rock didn't budge and she feared she would not be able to push it just the few inches it needed to go. But then, with a loud cry, it did move, and off the edge it fell, smashing into the bridge and sending the creature plummeting straight down. Ruby grabbed her cloak and pack, as well as an armful of arrows and pushed Azaelia ahead of her.

"Move! We've got to get out of here!"

Azaelia fired one more arrow and started running, Ruby's hand placed firmly on her back, but stopped when she heard Frodo scream. She turned back to see Gandalf drop off the edge of the bridge.

"Gandalf!"

Ruby felt her knees start to liquify and she almost fell. Then, remembering where she was and what they were doing, pushed Azaelia toward to final tunnel, leading to bright daylight.

"MOVE!"


	7. Chapter 7 Last of Hero

Azaelia wouldn't have moved had it not been for that hard push. They broke through to the sunlight where Ruby could see the tears streaming down Azaelia's cheeks.

"Why Gandalf? Of all of them…why him?" Azaelia sobbed as she walked, wanting to drop down on the ground, but at the same time trying to keep up with the rest of the fellowship.

Ruby kept her hand on Azaelia's shoulder, half holding her on her feet and half pushing her forward. She felt her own tears burn her eyes and chewed her lip, trying to hold them back. But come they did, in crystal streaks down both cheeks.

"I don't know why it had to be Gandalf, Zaelia. But it was...I just wish we had time to sit..." Maybe it was the lack of sleep, maybe it was the soreness of her feet, maybe it was a lot of things all at once, but now, more than ever, she felt angry. Angry at everything and everyone. Even angry with Azaelia, even though she understood and shared her pain, who wouldn't move fast enough for her.

Azaelia tried to walk at the pace Ruby wanted her to move at, but she just didn't have it in her. Finally, she wrenched her arm out of Ruby's grip and returned to her usual place behind her.

"Don't worry about me," she muttered dejectedly, "just go; I'll follow."

Ruby moved ahead of Azaelia, but caught her hand and held onto it, pulling her right along with her. The anger passed and now there was only guilt.

"I won't leave you behind, Zael."

After Gandalf's death, the two hobbits walked on in a daze, focusing only to check the distance between themselves and the fellowship. Days passed by before they noticed any change of scenery. Azaelia was the first to notice that they were walking on soft grass, just on the outskirts of a large forest…almost like the forests in the shire…

"Ruby, look, it looks almost like home-the grass and the trees…it's beautiful…"

Ruby stopped, bringing herself out of her own trance. She flexed her toes and smiled a bit. "It does, doesn't it?" But the smile was short lived. "But...it's not the shire, is it?" She started walking again, into a forest behind their fellowship.

Azaelia shook her head and muttered to herself. "No…I guess it isn't."

She walked into the forest behind Ruby, then gasped and pulled her back as the fellowship was encircled by elves.

Watching her fellowship get taken by a group of elves so shortly after loosing one of them to that horned beast caused Ruby's blood to boil. Before the elves were even out of sight, she was out of Azaelia's grasp, moving forward with her sword drawn.

"No way, I am not letting them out of my sights again! I refuse!"

Azaelia gasped again and Ruby heard a bow being drawn. "R-ruby…"

Ruby looked around her. Another Elven ambush. Holding her sword in front of her, she glared around.

"Oh no, you are not going to stop me..."

Azaelia looked at Ruby then closed her eyes. "Ruby, she says not to fear—they'll take care of us."

"Who says? Who?" What was Azaelia talking about? Was she hearing voices? Was the traveling really that hard on her?

"Quiet." said one of the elves, his eye and his arrow trained right to Ruby. "Come quietly. She has spoken it. You will come, whether by force or not."

Azaelia nodded. She grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her along. "You can put your sword away, they aren't going to hurt us…"

Ruby sheathed her sword, but did not remove her hand from its hilt. She said nothing, only watched as the circle of elves closed tightly about them. They couldn't even see where it was they were going.

By nightfall, the two hobbits had reached the most beautiful of cities. With a smile of love and pride, the elf that had spoken before said, "It is Lothlorien, and its queen, the Lady Galadriel, will be seeing you shortly."

Ruby turned her head toward Azaelia, but her eyes remained frozen on this city and their leading elf. "So what is your voice saying now?"

"I-it stopped a little ago, she said she must speak with the fellowship, but she assured me that we will be taken care of…"

Ruby frowned. "Fine."

As they ascended into the city, the sounds of life filled her ears. It really was a city, this bright dwelling in the trees. A real beauty to behold. Ruby truly wished she were visiting it under different circumstances. At any other time, it would have been a welcoming and wonderful sight.

When they reached the very top landing of the winding staircase up the tree, the elf man smiled at them. "She has asked that you wait here. I will be back when she requires you." He bowed a little and left.

Ruby looked about frantically, not understanding. Not comprehending. What on Middle Earth was going on! She sat down, there, on the floor, dropped her pack, her cloak, her sword, and buried her face in her hands, pressing her eyes with the heels of her palms. She felt so many words fill her mouth. So many unkind things were pressing against her clenched teeth, begging to be set free. But Ruby bit her tongue, refusing to yell and scream like she so badly wanted to. She just sat there, feeling terrible. She didn't know what about, she just felt it. That awful gut feeling she got so often lately that just stank with bad omens. Something was happening. Something something something. But what, she didn't know.

Time passed and the elf man came back. He waved a hand, gesturing for them to follow. Azaelia helped Ruby to stand and held tight to her hand. They could see where they were going. They could see who they were about to come face to face with. Ruby feared the confrontation. Her hand tightened around Azaelia's and she walked a little closer to her. Before them stood the fellowship, now eight in membership, and before them stood a woman of most exquisite beauty. She turned toward them, a small smile gracing her glowing face.

"Ah yes...I do believe you may recognize my other guests..." The woman, clearly Galadriel, spread her arm out and they were brought to stand beside the fellowship.

The looks on the tall half of the fellowship shot at them differed heavily from that of the shorter half. Tall Side looked confused and tense, (as if a couple hobbit girls could do anything to them…) but the shorter half was furious.

"RUBY? AZAELIA? WHAT ON MIDDLE EARTH ARE YOU DOING HERE!" Shrieked the hobbits. The two girls shrunk back, unable to speak.

Azaelia started trembling right away, and as she spoke, her voice shook just as badly, "We saw the riders chasing you in the woods and thought we'd help you-we've been following you since Farmer Maggot's-"

Galadriel spoke again. "Quiet." It seemed very difficult for anyone to obey, but they did.

Ruby turned away from the mixed emotions flowing off the fellowship and looked again at the lovely Galadriel.

"It is true; these two have followed you since your journey's conception. But, I am sure you will agree, they should now return to their homes. This journey is too much for them to bear." Ruby heard murmurs of agreement coming from beside her.

"No!" She cried.

The lady's smile stopped up her voice. Then she heard her again...only this time, in such a way that was so intimate and personal...her voice filled her mind.

"I do not doubt your heart, little one. Your love is such that any would gladly die for. But you are small, and undeserving of the dangers of this journey." Ruby felt the deepest and saddest of feelings wash over her, yet she could do nothing to argue.

When Galadriel sent them to away, the Lothlorien elves lead them to the place where they would find rest until their journeys would continue. When they were left alone, the questioning began. First the Tall Side of the fellowship, yelling not at them, but at the four male hobbits.

"Who are they?"

"What are they doing here!"

"They could have been killed!"

"How could you let them follow us!"

Ruby felt that old anger bubbling inside of her again. Azaelia had little courage left, but at the fellowship yelling at the four hobbits was too much.

"You let those hobbits alone! They had no more idea we were following you than you did!"

"We followed you because we were, for one, curious. For another, worried. And then by the end of it, we didn't know which way was home, so we kept following. We weren't going to just let you go DIEING on us!"

Then Merry, Pippin, Frodo, and Sam turned on them.

"So you'd rather die making sure we didn't? Then where would we be? We've already lost Gandalf, now you want to die, too? What is wrong with you!" Yelled Pippin. Ruby's heart broke. There was more sadness than anger in his eyes. Panic. And fear.

"I-I'm sorry, Pippin, I just...we just..." Her courage drained, all Ruby could do was feel badly for causing his happy eyes to change so drastically.

"What!" Cried Merry.

"We just wanted to help, all right! I am so sorry for caring, we'll just go home!" Ruby grabbed up her things and, with tears once again streaming from her eyes, turned and stalked away. Azaelia remained there, refusing to cry, insisting on being the stronger of the two, for once.

"We wanted to help! That's all! Don't be so harsh! You wanted to help Frodo just as must as we wanted to help you!"

Ruby found an empty hallow tree and curled up in it, feeling all the tension and emotion of the past months pouring freely from her. She sobbed like a little child. She wanted to go home. She wanted none of this to have ever happened. Oh, how alone and sad she felt, sitting in that tree. Alone. Listening to the mournful sound of the singing elves. Thinking about the worry and sadness in Pippin's eyes, and the fury in the eyes of everyone else.

Azaelia found Ruby and put her arms around her. "The lady Galadriel wants to speak to us…will you come?"

Ruby gathered herself together, whipping tears from her eyes. She stood, although shakily. "What does she want? To tell us how we're going home? I hope it's soon...I don't want to have to talk to them again..."

"I don't know, let's go find out?" Azaelia gave her an encouraging smile. Ruby nodded.

As she and Azaelia walked through the Lothlorien forest, they saw Frodo pass by a ways away. He looked...frightened. Worried. What could this Galadriel woman want with them?

Azaelia tried to find courage for her friend to lean on, but she was running low on it, herself. "We are here my lady…" She whispered as they descended overgrown stairs to where the elf woman sat pensively on a stone bench. "What would you ask of us?"

Galadriel looked at them with sad, almost confused eyes. But she smiled. "I must apologize. I told you that you must go home, but I was...mistaken."

Azaelia and Ruby was taken aback. "You mean…that we can follow them?"

"Not only can you, but you must!" She spread her arms to them. "I have foreseen it-great things will you both accomplish. But your friends, I am afraid, at this time will not understand. But you are gravely needed." She moved closer to them and smiled secretively. "I will aid you in your travels. I will give you the means to complete this task that you must undertake." Azaelia looked up at her, wide eyed and asked in the quietest of voices,

"And what task is this…?"

Galadriel whispered, in just the same way, "Why...to love them, of course."

Ruby's mouth dropped open and Azaelia gripped her arm in excitement. "You hear that, Ruby?" She looked around and saw Merry and Pippin just a little ways away. She raised her voice a little and said, "But why must we go home? Isn't there anything we can do?" Galadriel gave them another smile, but said no more, only bowed her farewell.

Ruby stared at the ground as they walked away, allowing her mixed emotions and confusions to show boldly on her face. "But lady Galadriel is right, Azaelia..." She whispered loudly, balling her hands into fists. "The journey's too much for us. We never should have left home!"

She looked over her shoulder and deliberately sought the eyes of her hobbit friends, allowing her own to widen. She rushed up the stairs and away, brushing Galadriel's fingers with her own in gratitude.

Azaelia moved to follow Ruby, but was stopped. Galadriel held tight to her shoulder.

"Little one...may I have an extra word with you?"

She nodded and turned around.

Galadriel bent down to her, placing her hands on the little hobbit's cheeks, looking at her with heavy, sorrowful eyes. "I have foreseen other things, as well as your help to the fellowship. Other very unfortunate things."

"What things?"

"Many lives are lost when fighting in wars, and many other lives are not prepared to handle such loss. Your Ruby is weak and weary from travel and heartache. She has all but broken under the strain, though she dare not show it. But you, small one of the shire, have strength enough to know this one thing about what I saw...When your task comes to its end you…"

Azaelia's spirits grew heavy. She closed her eyes as tears filled and fell. "I understand. Thank you. And if you are through with me, Lady, I would like to go find Ruby." Galadriel nodded slowly, standing up straight.

After the days' emotional trauma, Ruby was surprised at how easily and peacefully she slept. But all too soon, the peace was gone and travel day was upon them.


	8. chapter 8 Carnival

Ruby and Azaelia saw off the fellowship, all of whom were still in unhappy moods with them. Frodo seemed particularly distressed and saddened by their struggling, and the Tall Side seemed eager to take them away. But Merry and Pippin were furious. Ruby could see it in their eyes. They wished they'd never come at all.

That night, Galadriel called for them again. "I have promised to provide you with help in your own quest, and now I shall give it."

She gave them new clothing, boy's clothes to help with the rough travel, and cloaks pinned with the protection of an elven broach. She supplied them with food and water, and with proper armament; Ruby with two new swords and several throwing knives and Azaelia with a bow and quiver of arrows.

She took them to the shores of the river where they had seen the fellowship off. She told them of a path that led down the length of the river. She warned them that they would be a day behind their friends, but that they would be able to catch up; that she had the faith in them to succeed.

"Thank you for your help." She and Ruby bowed and looked toward the forest.

Ruby gave Azaelia a smile, mustering all her strength and courage into this first step back on their journey…And then they were off, into the trees, leaving the beauty of Lothlorien and the wisdom of Galadriel firmly and forever behind them.

Azaelia grabbed Ruby's hand. "We'll be all right. I'll stay with you to the end." "The very, very end." She added silently. She feared her future, but refused to let it consume her. Galadriel didn't warn her of this so she could hide away…she told her so that she could put what time she had left to the best use possible. At least, that's how she figured it. And that was just what she planned to do.

Ruby straightened her back and gave Azaelia another smile. "Of course we'll be all right, Zaelia. We're traveling for more than just ourselves, now. We're helping to save Middle Earth. And then, when it's all over..." Ruby talked a bit about going back to the shire and oh, the joys of sleeping in a real bed again! "How wonderful that will be..."

Azaelia smiled then bit her lip. "The shire…" She thought, sadly, "Will I ever get to see it again?" "Yes, it will be wonderful! We'll have another party and dancing! And we'll have cake and fireworks! Just like old times…" No sense giving Ruby any hints of her end, right?

Ruby thought back to her birthday party. Had that really been over a month ago...?

Azaelia's head bobbed back and forth a little as she started humming a song that she and Ruby had made up when they were children. Ruby caught onto the tune quickly and began singing it.

The two hobbits loved to sing, and they harmonized well, what with Azaelia's high toned voice and Ruby's own much lower one. But this song had always been a favorite. It had been with them for as long as they had known each other.

"A message has been sent and received, to you I'll send from me, endless as the eternal horizon, can you hear my plea? Will you hear the sparrow fly? The sun calls forth its song. A cry is heard on nigh, can you hear my heart calling for you? Alone I wander in darkness, until over mountains high, the golden sun awakes-a new day lives. So sing this song with me, until our paths do meet, and your road brings you back to mine…messages have been sent and received, from my heart now to yours."

"I don't know how I could survive this without you, Zaelia." Ruby whispered.

For a good day's travel all was quiet and peaceful. Azaelia and Ruby worked their way down the edge of the river, hoping to eventually catch up to their fellowship. But after a day and half and two nights of nothing but walking, something was beginning to stir in front of them. They heard sounds. Unfamiliar ones. They pressed harder, afraid that these odd sounds might involve their friends.

After a time, the sounds began to evolve and strengthen. Battle sounds. Coming around a bend, Ruby and Azaelia found the source of the sounds. Countless huge, hulking, dark creatures barreled through the forest, fighting and running and slashing and growling, and in the middle of this all were the members of the fellowship.

They ducked behind a tree and scaled its trunk for a better vantage point. From there they could look down the length of the steep hill before them; a clear view of the battle field. Aragorn, Ghimli and Legolas were positioned at the top of the hill while at the bottom, Boromir and the four hobbits stood.

"Azaelia!" Ruby hissed, pointing toward one particularly large creature placing himself on a rock. He lifted his bow and took aim at Boromir. "Azaelia, aim for him! Hurry! Try and help Boromir-I'm going down on foot."

Ruby slid down the length of the tree and, landing, drew her swords. She swung them about, slashing into thick muscled legs as she pressed to get to the hobbits and Boromir.

She was grateful for all the fighting lessons she'd gotten while following her fellowship-they really were good teachers. She made good time in crossing the upper battlefield, but when she finally reached the edge of the hill, she almost lost herself to her enemies.

Boromir, pierced three times by thick arrows, fell to the ground. Frodo ran away, toward the river, and Merry and Pippin leapt into the line of battle, calling the fleets toward them and away from their friend. They grabbed the two hobbits and carried them away. In a flash of thought, Ruby wondered where Sam was...

Azaelia took aim with her bow and aimed for her target's hands. Her arrows may have been too weak to kill him, but if she could offset his aim, then she might just save Boromir. Three times she hit his hands and shoulders, and three different places Boromir was shot. But he could never live through those wounds. Azaelia watched in horror as he fell to the ground. She slid down the tree, firing arrows as she ran across the battlefield, toward Ruby.

"No." Ruby thought. "No." Ruby said. "NO!" Ruby shrieked, taking off at a sprint after the two hobbits and their captors. She pounded after them, swerving away from and dodging each of the hands that moved to take her like they did her friends.

A maelstrom of torrential feeling filled her. Fear chilled her; a fear that would stick her to a single spot, if it could but take proper hold. Anger burned her; an anger that fueled her fear and turned it into a flame of action. Panic blocked her sense of reality, broke her grip on what was a wise decision and what was reckless…and all of this was topped off by despair. Somewhere, beneath this emotion, was a growing and piercing flood of despair. She knew she was too small. Too slow. Too soft. Too weak to ever accomplish what she herself had set out to do. She had only just gotten him back in her eyes, back under her protection, however inadequate she knew it to be. She was not about to let him be taken away from her. Ripped from her. Stolen from her.

Blinded by her rage, her panic and fear, she ran after the massing creatures, not fearing their weapons, their armor, their feet, their skill...none of it. Her mission was Pippin's safety. But there was one pair of hands she had not accounted for. Small hands. If it were not for Azaelia, dragging her to the ground and into the trees, she would be dead.

Azaelia pulled her down, hiding her in a hole under a fallen log. Ruby fought with everything left in her, tears running, undetected, down dirty, bloody, bruised cheeks.

"NO!" She shrieked, trying to pull herself away from her friend, even going as far as to claw at her hands, just to get free again. "Let me go! Let me go!" She fought with all her strength, yelled his name, but to no avail...Azaelia would not let her go.

Tears burned Azaelia's eyes. "Ruby, listen to me-we can't go out there! To fight them alone is suicide! We're not meant to die yet!"

"I have to go after him! I have to! I can't," Ruby sobbed, "I can't..." but she had stopped. She curled up in the dirt and sobbed.

By nightfall the army had passed and all was quiet. Azaelia stroked Ruby's hair. "Tomorrow, Ruby. We'll follow them tomorrow."

Ruby did not move from that spot until the sun came up. As Azaelia got her things together and ready for the next leg of the journey, Ruby called up every ounce of strength she had. She tried to find the rage that had pushed her so hard the day before. But all she could find was the despair. She dug inside her and tried to find that hatred that had seemed to burn her so deeply. She tried and tried to find something inside her that would get her back up onto her feet and moving again. She tried to yell herself into it, reprimanding herself for giving up so soon after having been so refreshed in Lothlorien. Had she really not expected to run into such dangers? But for all her yelling, all her searching for anger and hate…the only thing she could find that was stronger than that horrid, black despair was her tired, sick heart. Her love for her home and the shire. For Azaelia, and for Frodo and for Sam and Merry. But what truly pulled her to her feet and got her going again was her love for Pippin. Once she was up, she was moving, despite the pains left from the battle, despite weariness...she had found her inspiration. And she would not allow herself to lose it again.

Finally, after so long in that forest, Ruby and Azaelia broke free of it. The forest stopped at a rise, almost like a little ledge, overlooking a vast and spreading valley. In the distance they could see the army, a black streak across the horizon.

"Somewhere in that mass of black are two scared hobbits." Ruby looked to Azaelia and smiled at her. But the smile was sad and very distant. "And right here, Zaelia, stand two more scared hobbits. Alone. Powerless. What other weapon have we than our love?"

Azaelia gazed out into the valley. "Let's keep trying. Remember what Galadriel told us? 'Love them.' That's what we hobbits do best. Just love."


End file.
